Texas Rangers

Track Record: Huff was the Rangers’ seventh-round selection in 2016, then broke on the scene with 28 home runs spread across the Class A levels in 2019. He also won that year’s Futures Game MVP award. He reached the big leagues in 2020 and performed well, but dealt with a subluxation in his knee that kept him from catching all season long. The injury flared up again in 2021 and kept him from catching all season long yet again. He was set to make up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League, but left after six games due to precautionary reasons regarding the same injury.

Scouting Report: Huff’s calling card is his truly massive power. Even while he was rehabbing from his injury, he found time to sock a 519-foot home run in the Arizona Complex League. His average (92.3 mph) and maximum (115 mph) exit velocities were both tops in the Texas system. He’s improved his pitch-recognition skills over the course of his career and will likely be a below-average hitter with double-plus power. The biggest question remaining is where he’ll wind up on defense. Come 2022 he’ll get back behind the plate again. He spent time working with Bobby Wilson to get better at the position, but he was fringe-average pre-injury. He’s a very large human but has more athleticism than one would expect from someone his size and has a plus throwing arm to boot. When he did get on the field in 2021, he split his time between first base and DH.

The Future: The Rangers still believe Huff has a shot to catch in the long term, but he had work to do to stick behind the plate even before the injury. He’ll try to get back on track in 2022.

Track Record: With a standout season at Oregon, Zavala zoomed up draft boards as one of the best lefthanded bats available in the college class. The Rangers popped him in the second round but discovered what they termed a medical anomaly and negotiations went down to the wire. Ultimately, he signed for a bonus of $830,000, which was well below slot value.

Scouting Report: Zavala made big-time noise in the Ducks’ regional appearance, including a pair of home runs. That only cemented what Zavala had proved throughout the course of the year. He has a potentially above-average hit tool fueled by a quick swing with a flat path through the zone and burgeoning power that could get to fringe-average. He also has an outstanding knowledge of the strike zone and excellent bat-to-ball skills. Zavala has solid-average speed but a below-average arm, which likely makes left field his future defensive home. He has played second base and third base in the past as well.

The Future: Zavala made it to Low-A Down East in his debut season. He’ll likely move up to High-A Hickory in 2022. He has the ceiling of an everyday left fielder.

Track Record: Vanasco upped his draft stock with performances at prep showcases in Florida during his draft season, leading the Rangers to take a flier on him in the 15th round and sign him for $238,000. The gamble quickly proved worth the investment when his fastball jumped way up. He impressed in the short-season Northwest League, where he ranked as the No. 10 prospect in 2019. He was impressive again at the alternate training site in 2020, but had Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2021 regular season.

Scouting Report: At his best, Vanasco was bringing his fastball up to 99 mph while sitting in the mid 90s. He’d backed it with a powerful curveball in the mid 80s and a high-80s slider that could get to average with further development. He rounds out the arsenal with a high-80s changeup as well. Control was his biggest question pre-surgery, and he’ll need to make up time in 2022 to continue to improve that aspect of his game.

The Future: Vanasco got on the mound in instructional league, including a start against Texas Christian during the team’s barnstorming tour through the Lone Star State. He should move to Double-A in 2022.

Track Record: Roby’s stock was rising before his high school season was shut down. The Rangers’ area scouts and crosscheckers believed enough in him to draft him with their third-round pick. He was excellent in his pro debut, when he jumped to Low-A Down East and whiffed 35 in 22 innings before an elbow strain ended his season.

Scouting Report: Roby’s pitch mix starts with one of the organization’s most electric fastballs. The pitch sits in the low 90s and has touched as high as 97 mph, but its most alluring characteristics show up under the hood. The fastball also showed a double-plus spin rate of 2,540 rpms and similarly elite vertical break. Roby paired the fastball with a high-70s, downer curveball that averaged nearly 2,900 rpms of spin and scored well in plenty of other analytical categories. He finished his mix with an excellent low-80s changeup with nearly 10 mph of separation from his fastball. All told, Roby finished the year with a swinging-strike rate of 17.5%. The Rangers may add a slider or a cutter to Roby’s mix in the future, but for now they’re very happy with his combination of stuff, strikes and poise.

The Future: Roby finished the year at instructional league and should move up to High-A Hickory to begin 2022. He’s one of the organization’s higher upside pitching prospects and could fit in the middle of a rotation.

Track Record: Otto was the Yankees’ fifth-round selection in 2017 and wound his way through the minors until 2021, when he was dealt to the Rangers as part of the deal that sent Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez to New York. He saw huge improvements in 2021 and made his big league debut on Aug. 27 and got six starts with Texas.

Scouting Report: The biggest reason for Otto’s success centered around tweaks to his arsenal. Specifically, the Yankees worked with him to add a slider in order to give him weapons to both lefties and righties. The pitch, thrown in the low-to-mid 80s, showed excellent sweepy break and worked as a perfect complement to his downer curveball in the low 80s. Otto rounds out his pitch mix with a high-80s changeup. Before the trade, he also worked to tweak his delivery a little bit in order to improve the timing of his arm stroke. Scouts showed a bit of concern with Otto’s inability to command his arsenal to his arm side.

The Future: Otto will try to win a job in the Rangers’ rotation out of spring training. If not, he’ll head to Triple-A for more seasoning. He has the ceiling of a No. 4 starter in the big leagues.

Track Record: Morrobel was the jewel of the Rangers’ most recent international signing class, which was delayed until Jan. 15 because of the pandemic. He was lauded as an amateur for an athletic frame, a knack for finding the barrel and power that could grow as he matures and gets stronger. He debuted in the Dominican Summer League, where he showed bat-to-ball skills and a knowledge of the strike zone that led to more walks (30) than strikeouts (25).

Scouting Report: Morrobel’s debut season showed the skill set the Rangers coveted. Now it’s a matter of letting him develop and add weight and strength to his frame. They also want to tweak his swing a little bit to get the barrel in the zone for a longer period of time. In the long run, they see a player who has an enticing combination of tools, skills and feel for the game in much the same way as fellow Rangers prospect Evan Carter. His average speed could play in center field or be an asset in a corner if his body gets too big to stay up the middle.

The Future: After a year in the DSL, Morrobel will move stateside in 2022. He’ll likely split the year between extended spring training and the Arizona Complex League. His development path is just beginning, but the Rangers like their early returns.

Track Record: Kent was plucked out of Virginia Military Institute, where he spent three solid seasons. His 132 strikeouts in his junior year were among the most in the country. The Rangers popped him in the ninth round that year and signed him for $140,000. He got his feet wet at the lowest levels of the minor leagues in 2019, then returned to action at 2020 instructional league. His 25 strikeouts were tied with Cody Bradford for the most in Texas’ camp.

Scouting Report: Kent works with a four-pitch mix, but predominantly attacks with a fastball-slider-changeup combination. His heater sits in the low 90s and peaked at 98 this season with High-A and showed excellent spin rates and solid vertical life. He paired the fastball primarily with a similarly high-spin slider in the mid 80s. He leaned on that particularly heavily once he moved to Double-A, where he used the slider roughly 45% of the time. The Rangers added a split-changeup to Kent’s repertoire at instructional league in 2020 and saw immediate benefits. The pitch sits in the high 80s and got swings and misses at an above-average clip.

The Future: Kent will likely return to Double-A in 2022. He ran into some trouble at the level to close 2021 (although a large part of those issues stemmed from two starts at homer-happy Amarillo). He could find a spot toward the back of a rotation.

Track Record: Weems was a sixth-round pick of the White Sox out of Arizona in 2019 and spent his first season as a pro with Rookie-level Great Falls. He caught the eye of scouts during instructional league and was eventually used as part of the two-player package that brought starter Lance Lynn to Chicago. He spent 2021 at High-A Hickory, where his 124 strikeouts ranked as the second most in the organization.

Scouting Report: Weems works with a full four-pitch mix but leans mostly on his fastball and slider. The former sits around 94 mph and has touched up to 98 with excellent horizontal break through the zone. Weems’ slider has earned plus grades from scouts and is a high-spin pitch thrown in the high 80s with hints of the lower 90s. He’ll mix in a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball, but neither compares to his main two weapons. Internal evaluators are split as to whether he belongs in a rotation or should move to the bullpen, but he’ll get a chance to continue down the starter track for the time being.

The Future: Weems’ next stop is Double-A Frisco, where he’ll look to sharpen either his curveball or changeup into the third pitch that will give him the best shot to remain a rotation option.

Track Record: Lora was the jewel of the Rangers’ 2019 international signing class—which also featured intriguing shortstop prospect Maximo Acosta. He signed for $3.9 million on the strength of some of the best raw power in the class. Lora’s pro debut was pushed back because of the pandemic, but he got his feet wet in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 and swatted six home runs.

Scouting Report: Lora’s calling card is his elite raw power—he hit a 500-foot home run in one of his first at-bats in the DSL and posted a maximum exit velocity of 112.5 mph, which was among the best numbers in the Rangers system. Now, it’s a matter of getting to it more often. Officials inside the organization would like to see Lora become less passive and make better swing decisions in order to work himself away from a three-true-outcome profile (nearly 65% of his plate appearances ended in a walk, strikeout or home run). Defensively, he’s a below-average defender with the plus arm to fit comfortably in right field.

The Future: After spending his debut in the Dominican, Lora will move stateside in 2022. He has massive upside as a middle-of-the-order bat, but there’s a long way to go.

Track Record: Bratt was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, but transferred to Georgia Premier Academy during the pandemic in order to be seen by scouts. The move worked. An improvement in his fastball earned Bratt the Rangers’ fifth-round pick and the corresponding $850,000, which tied him with the White Sox’s Tanner McDougal for the second highest in the round. He followed his high school season with a stint in the newly formed MLB Draft League, where he whiffed 44 in 28 innings.

Scouting Report: Bratt works with a three-pitch mix centered around a dynamic fastball-changeup combination. In four appearances in the Arizona Complex League, Bratt showed a low-90s fastball that topped at 94 and combined it primarily with a low-80s changeup thrown with enough arm speed and conviction to get swings and misses. He also throws both a 72-75 mph curveball and a slider with a touch more velo, with the former ahead of the latter in terms of development. His delivery is loose and athletic, giving the Rangers dreams of plenty of upside to come as Bratt gets older and stronger.

The Future: Bratt is a far-away upside play, but his start in the Arizona Complex League showed hints of good things to come thanks to a combination of strikes and stuff. He could move up to Low-A in 2022.

Track Record: Acosta signed with the Rangers for $1.65 million during the 2019 international period, which also netted them powerful outfielder Bayron Lora. His debut season was shelved by the pandemic, but he got on the field during 2020 instructional league. His 2021 season was limited to just 17 games thanks to surgery to alleviate the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.

Scouting Report: Before the injury, the Rangers were extremely excited about what they’d seen from Acosta. He’d performed extremely well at instructional league in 2020 and carried it over to extended spring training. At his best, Texas expects a player who hits for 50-55 grades in both average and power. Before the surgery, rival scouts saw a player whose body appeared to be nearly maxed out already but had the tools to be a solid everyday shortstop in the big leagues. He’s an average runner whose defense plays up because of the way he anticipates, and he has a plus throwing arm.

The Future: Acosta spent part of his fall and winter at a development camp at the Rangers’ spring training complex in Arizona. He should be a full go by next season, when he’ll likely start back in extended spring training. His upside is dependent on how he looks post-surgery.

Track Record: Hauver was the third and final piece of the Yankees draft class in 2020. He was picked out of Arizona State, which saw all four members of its infield get selected despite the draft being just five rounds. Hauver started on fire at Low-A Tampa, where he hit six home runs in the first week of the season. He was part of the package the Yankees used to acquire Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez at the trade deadline.

Scouting Report: Hauver’s value is tied near exclusively to his bat. He has a strong knowledge of the strike zone and a swing geared toward loft, leading evaluators to believe he’ll post low batting averages but high on-base percentages. That showed up in his pro debut, when he posted a combined .416 OBP between both Class A levels. The Rangers believe he’ll blossom into more power as well. He’s unlikely to be much more than a below-average defender at either second base or the outfield, with the latter a more likely possibility moving forward because of struggles with throwing accuracy when he played at second or third base. He’s a below-average runner.

The Future: Hauver should move up to Double-A Frisco in 2022, when he’ll see if his offense plays at the upper levels. He has the ceiling of a second-division regular in left field.

Track Record: Bradford’s career at Baylor included a Big 12 Conference pitcher of the year award in 2018, a season when he pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts. In 2019, he had surgery to alleviate the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, which cost him all but three games of his draft year. Nonetheless, the Rangers took him in the sixth round. His 25 strikeouts at instructional league tied him for the top spot in the organization, and he made his official pro debut in 2021.

Scouting Report: Nothing about Bradford’s profile jumps off the page, but his control was tabbed by internal evaluators as the best in the system. His four-seam fastball sits in the low 90s but plays up a touch thanks to its excellent horizontal break. His low-80s changeup is amplified by the extension and deception in his delivery and was his most frequently thrown offspeed pitch. Bradford rounds out his three-pitch mix with a mid-80s slider that grades as fringe-average.

The Future: Bradford finished 2021 at Double-A Frisco and should begin back there to start 2022. He has the ceiling of a back-end starter but has one of the higher floors among the system’s pitching prospects.

Track Record: Ragans’ season was one of the best stories in the Rangers’ system. The 2016 first-rounder missed three seasons of development thanks to the pandemic and two Tommy John surgeries, so simply getting on the mound again was a victory.

Scouting Report: As ever, Ragans’ signature pitch is a nasty changeup in the low 80s with excellent separation from his fastball. The changeup also shows excellent fading action. His fastball sits in the low 90s but peaked at 97 mph and formed a nice tunnel with his changeup. Ragans uses both a curveball and a slider, but neither is a knockout pitch. The slider is the better of the two when he needs a chase and the curveball is best used for early-count strikes. His control waned as the season went on, though some internal sources chalked that up to Ragans understandably tiring down the stretch after three seasons away.

The Future: Ragans will return to Double-A to begin 2022, when he’ll look to build more stamina. He was left off the 40-man roster and therefore was Rule 5 eligible.

Track Record: Cauley is the son of former minor leaguer Chris Cauley, who also is an assistant on Cameron’s former team at Barbers Hill High. The Rangers drafted Cauley in the third round and signed him to a bonus of $1 million.

Scouting Report: As would be expected from a high school wide receiver in Texas, Cauley has athleticism and plus speed. Those traits alone could help him at shortstop but could also facilitate a move to second base or center field if necessary. His average arm strength would also serve him better in the outfield or the right side of the infield. He’s a skinnier player whom scouts believe doesn’t have a ton of projection remaining, so his offensive profile will depend on his continued ability to make contact and cause havoc on the bases. Scouts saw a player who will have below-average power.

The Future: Cauley’s defensive home will become clearer as he develops, but he has the upside of an everyday player at the top or bottom of a lineup.

Track Record: Acker was Oakland’s fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2020 draft and signed for $447,400 at slot value. Just before the season was shut down by the pandemic, Acker made history by throwing a no-hitter against Louisiana State. He was dealt to the Rangers in February 2021 along with Khris Davis and Jonah Heim as part of the trade that sent Elvis Andrus to Oakland. He made two starts at Low-A Down East, but then was shut down and had Tommy John surgery.

Scouting Report: At Oklahoma, Acker worked with a heavy low-90s fastball that peaked at 94 mph and a 78-81 mph curveball as his main means of attack. He also showed a fringy slider that sometimes behaved like a cutter as well as a fading changeup that projected to be average. During spring training, the Rangers saw a huge uptick in Acker’s stuff. His fastball had jumped into the 95-99 mph range, and his curveball was looking like a potential wipeout pitch. Whether those gains continue will have to wait until he returns from surgery.

The Future: Once Acker returns from his rehab process, he’ll likely be eased back into action. The Rangers were extremely encouraged by what they saw, however, and are excited for his future.

Track Record: Alexy was originally chosen by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. He was traded to Texas a year later with infielder Brendon Davis in exchange for righthander Yu Darvish. A lat strain limited Alexy to just five games in 2019, and he spent the 2020 season working out in Arizona before getting on the mound at instructional league. He was added to the 40-man roster before the 2021 season and made his big league debut on Aug. 30.

Scouting Report: The biggest keys to Alexy’s success in 2021 were the reshaping and shortening of his arm circle, which led to more consistency in his delivery, and significant weight loss without sacrificing arm strength. Alexy worked primarily with a mid-90s fastball with above-average spin and excellent vertical break. He backed the fastball with his signature high-70s, 12-to-6 curveball as well as a mid-80s changeup. The newest pitch in his arsenal is a slider in the low 80s that showed solid results. He showed improved control in the minors but posted a 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the big leagues.

The Future: Alexy bounced between starting and relieving in the minors and made four starts in the big leagues. If he is to remain a starter he’ll have to significantly improve his control. Otherwise, he fits as a multi-inning reliever.

Track Record: Originally signed by the Rangers in 2013, Pozo spent his first six seasons in the minor leagues with Texas before signing with the Padres before the 2020 season, which was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic. The Rangers got Pozo right back when they selected him from San Diego in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. He was one of five minor league Rule 5 picks to make the big leagues in 2021.

Scouting Report: After not touching the upper levels before this year, Pozo spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Round Rock, where he hit for average and power. He’s an extremely aggressive hitter who feasts on pitches inside and outside the zone and swatted a career-high 23 home runs after hitting just 25 in his six prior seasons. He’s earned a reputation as a bad-ball hitter who can use a combination of bat speed and strength to hit pitches anywhere near the plate. Defensively, there’s a lot of work to be done. He’s worked hard with team catching instructors Bobby Wilson and Brett Hayes, but he’s a thicker-bodied player who doesn’t move terribly well behind the dish and is more likely a first baseman or DH who dabbles at catcher every now and then.

The Future: Pozo’s role is likely what he did in 2021: A player who can come up and provide a bit of offense every now and then while giving an everyday player a day off. He’ll battle in spring training for a spot on the big league roster.

Track Record: Signed as a 17-year-old in 2017, Henriquez had advanced to Low-A through 2019, then saw action in 2020 at instructional league due to the cancellation of the minor league season in the wake of the pandemic. He made it to Double-A in 2021 but ran into serious trouble keeping the ball in the park. Nonetheless, he was added to the Rangers’ 40-man roster after the season.

Scouting Report: Henriquez’s biggest attribute is an electric fastball that sits around 94 mph and has touched up to 97. The pitch plays up thanks to excellent spin rates and horizontal break coupled with a near-elite vertical approach angle. He complements the fastball with a mid-80s slider and a high-80s changeup. Each of his offspeed pitches has its moments, but both need more consistency. The Rangers have confidence that he’ll make the necessary improvements because of the innate way he uses his hand to manipulate the baseball. His changeup in particular needs to come along so he has a better chance against lefties.

The Future: Henriquez will likely head back to Double-A in 2022. If he can improve his slider and changeup, he could fit in the back of the rotation. If only one comes along, he could be a multi-inning reliever.

Track Record: Along with outfielder Yeison Morrobel, Cueva was one of the potentially higher-end signings in the Rangers’ most recent international class, which was delayed by the pandemic until Jan. 15. He spent the summer in the Dominican Summer League, where he showed hints of his potential. He’s the latest in a line of shortstops the Rangers have signed from the international market, including Luisangel Acuna and Maximo Acosta.

Scouting Report: As an amateur, Cueva showed the signs of being an offensive-minded middle infielder. He’s got a smooth, balanced stroke from the left side and the hand-eye coordination to shoot line drives from gap to gap. He worked hard before signing to increase his speed—he is now an above-average runner—in order to increase his chances to stick at shortstop. The Rangers see a potentially powerful player as he gets stronger and fills out his body, especially considering he was one of the younger players in the signing class. Right now, Texas believes Cueva can stick at shortstop but understands his development is just beginning.

The Future: After a first test of pro ball in the DSL, Cueva will likely move stateside to extended spring training and the Arizona Complex League in 2022. He’s got the upside of an everyday, offensive-minded middle infielder.